Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-08-21
FREAKS OF MEMORY.
THERE Is NO FACULTY SO mex
PLlCABLE AS RECOLLECTION.

Notable Individual Instances of Forget
fulness-Causes That Have Produced
Singular Results-John Hunters Fail
ure-Account of q Singular Accident.
There is no faculty so inexp1icable as men,
ory 1t is not merely that its powers vary so
much in different individuals as that every
one has found his or Der own liable to the
most unaccountabie changes. Why vivid inn
pressions should seem TO become entirely OBJ
liberated and then suddenly spring to light
without the slightest effort Of our own is
mystery which is not easily explained. Many
have experienced this in trying to recall
name, a tune or a quotation perhaps, and
then have it, present itself unbidden when
considerable time has elapsed and the thoughts
are on another subject, and also many must
know the uneasy feeling with which one will
search and search for a missing article, and
the relief when, in some mysterious way, the
knowledge of where it is flashes across the
mind and the article Is found. A retentive
memory is considered of such Importance that
it is the first object in education. And so es-
sential did the ancients regard il for any work
of imagination that they described the muses.
as daughters of memory"
There are many examples OF this great
power in men of high abilities. Themistocles,
we are told, could call by name every citizen
Of Athens, and the number was 20, 900. Cyrus
knew the name of every soldier in his army.
Hortencius had SO great memory that he
recollected, not only every word he himself
had meditated, but every sentence of his ad-
yersary's Grafton, even to the titles and docu-
ments brought forward to support case
against him.
1t is not at all strange to find a memory re-
tenrive on some subjects, and extremely de-
fective on others. A lady of my acquaintance
could tell the number Of stairs contained in
each flight in the houses in which she had
lived. and it seemed almost impossible for her
to retain for any length of time a remem-
brance of things more important. Miss Adj
olson, daughter of the celebrated Addison,
seemed to inherit her fathers memory with
out his sound power of understanding. She
could repeat any part Of her fathers works,
in fact the whole of many, but could not
speak or write an intelligent sentence Of her
own. She was perfect imbecile. The power
of calculation entirely from memory is sur
prising. The famous mathematician Wallis
could extract the cube root from sum of
thirty figures in bed and in the dark. 1t is
said George III never forget face once
seen or a name he had once heard.
John Hunters memory once failed him in
the house Of friend. He totally forgot where
he was or where his own home was. He was
conscious of the weakness and tried to restore
his recollections by looking out of the window
to ascertain where he was. After little rest,
memory gradually returned. An actor once
ri, baH a
run all at once forgot entirely the speech he
was to make When he got behind the scenes,
he said: GLOW could be expected to remem-
Der it forevera Have not repeated it every
night for the last thirty nights" On one
occasion a gentleman lad to turn to his COM
panion, when about to leave his name at a
door where they had called, to ask him what
it was. so completely and suddenly had all
memory of it left him.
After severe illness and after enduring
hardships loss of memory Is not unusual.
Thucydides relates that some who recovered
from the plague at Athens lost their memory
so completely that no friend or relation and
nothing connected with their personal identity
was remembered. Mental shocks frequently
interrupt. or in some cases utterly put an end
to that exercise which the union Of body and
mlnQ produces. "A ldu, Suuuch Oio"S hAoy
suddenly obliterate all recollection.
By a. fall from his horse, gentleman who
was an excellent scholar received an injury
on his head. He recovered, but his learning
had vanished, and he had actually to COM
mence his education by starting at the first
step and learning his alphabet Another
scholar, meeting with similar accident, lost
none of his requirements but his Greek, and
that was gone entirely. There Is on record
the account of an accident which befeil Dr.
Broussannet, and which resulted IN apoplexN
When he recovered he had utterly lost the
power of speaking or writing proper names
or any substantive, but memory supplied ad-
jectives very readily, and by their applica-
ton distinguished whatever he wished to
mention. If he wished to speak OF any one,
he would designate him by calling him by
the shape or color for which he was remark
able. If his hair WAS red, be called him
Gred:n if above the usual height. he would
name him tall" II he wanted his hat he
asked for his "black." He was an excellent
botanist, but he was obliged to make uss Of
the same method in speaking of the plants,
because he could not mention the name
of one of them. A musician was known
to call his flute tufle. thus using all the let
tiers of the right word, which it was impos-
sible for him to speak. An extraordinary
case of periodical recollection occurred in an
old man who had forgotten all the events Of
his Younger days, unless they were recalled to
his memory by some occurrence, yet, every
night regularly, he recollected some one par
ticular circumstance of his early life. A
gentleman of my acquaintance said he was
once in great danger of drowning, and in a
very brief space of time every event of his
life came wildly to his mind as completely
as tuough produced on canvas
A sad Ting has been related OF young
clergyman who was accidentally shot in the
forehead by friend just two days before his
marriage WAS to have taken place. For q
long time his life was despaired of. He
recovered, hut his mind was impaired His
memory retained nothing but the idea of his
approaching marriage. Everything was abb
sorbed in that one recollection; his whole
conversation related TO the preparations. He
would never speak on any other subject. 1t
was always within two days of the wedding.
Years and years went on. Youth passed
away, and still in two days more his wedding
would take place, and in this condition he
reached his S0th year, and sank into the grave
with that one idea alone in his mind
Boston Herald.